Not-so Distant Relatives
by Jackiewings234
Summary: Eli and Ezra were brothers separated when young, and while Eli is destined to take up his place as the protector of Slugterra, Ezra somehow ends up on Lothal, and then with the Rebels, never knowing about his brother or Slugterra, nevertheless Earth. When Ezra and the Rebels end up in Eli's world, what will happen when the two realize the truth?
1. A Startling Meet

**_Beep! Beep!_ Beep!**

"Eli!" Trixie shouted, glancing over the cover of a boulder. Eli Shane, the leader of the Shane gang, who had been the one to suggest trying to go slug hunting in Deaddrop Cavern, was starting to _slightly_ regret his decision. Okay, fine.

The trip was going smoothly until, out of nowhere, a random contraption resembling some sort of Hollywood space prop you'd see in the movies had appeared, and slammed on the brink of a nearby cliff. Debris and rocks came tumbling down as the spacecraft lay on the ledge.

"We gotta see if there are people inside! They could be trapped in there!" Eli led his team as they made their way towards the mysterious machine.

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><p>"Hera! What happened out there?" Kanen asked. Hera was running a full scan system to process the damage done to the Ghost.<p>

"The hyperspace jump glitched somehow. We've taken damage on the hull and engines, and we're not going anywhere till it's fixed." Kanan groaned. "Just great."

"Um, guys?" Ezra Bridger stuck his head through the door.

"All the ship exits are busted. And so's this door." He grunted as he managed to push the doors apart a fraction. "Any idea where we are?"

"Nope. Not even sure the Empire knows where this place is. It's not on any map or data log. And we seem to be... underground?" Hera said.

"Soooo... this is bad."

"Like that's not obvious." Zeb made his way through the partially open door. Ezra was just about to argue back when a banging sound rang from the side of the Ghost. The Rebels went quiet. Ezra held his slingshot at the ready. Kanan activated his lightsaber. Everyone else held their weapons, listening.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" An adolescent voice, about as old as Ezra, called from the other side. The Rebels approached the door.

"Can we trust this guy?" Ezra whispered. Kanan shrugged.

"Who cares? So long as this fellow gets us out of here..." Zeb grumbled.

"Or kills us before we get the chance to be grateful..." Sabine said.

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><p>"Are you sure this is the best of ideas?" Pronto shook. Eli loaded his blaster with a Rammstone.<p>

"Worth a shot. Besides, it's either people or aliens."

"What's an _ailen__?" _Trixie asked.

"Sounds like a weird foot disease." Kord scratched his head. Eli laughed, taking aim at the jammed door.

"I'll explain later."

* * *

><p>Ezra and Kanan perked up, suddenly alert.<p>

"Duck!" Ezra shouted, pushing his fellow Rebels out of the vicinity of a large _BOOM!_ When the dust settled, all they saw through the rubble was a small, red, funny-looking creature on the ground. Even Zeb would've admitted it, it was kind of cute for something of that damage.

"Hello?" Ezra called out of the large hole where the door should have been.

"Can anyone here me?" The strange voice answered back,

"Yeah, are you hurt?" An outline of a teenage boy stood by the former 'doorway.' Ezra lowered his weapon.

"Careful, kid, it could be a trap." Zeb warned. Nodding, Ezra climbed out of the Ghost and into the foreign land. Or, rather, a colossal cave. With sharp rocks. He had little time to wonder about the scenery when he was approached by a teen very close, perhaps a year older, to his own age, carrying with him several of the creatures similar to the one who blew apart the Ghost exit.

And he seemed awfully familiar.


	2. A Whole New World

**Hello again! Thank you guys for the reviews, I really appreciate your support! And sorry if you see any mistakes, this is my first fanfic. Enjoy!**

**I do not own Slugterra or Star Wars Rebels or any of the characters in this story.**

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><p>As the stranger emerged from the crashed spacecraft, the Shane Gang simply stared. Of course, they've seen stranger things, but something just seemed... different about this stranger. Was he from the surface? Was he armed? Was he dangerous? If not, then what <em>was<em> he? Eli stepped forward.

"Hey, we don't want any trouble. But your giant spaceship almost squashed us."

"Sorry," the stranger put his hands up.

"Don't know why, but I'm kinda used to this kind of thing." He paused, looking around. Eli pressed forward with questions.

"Who are you?"

"Who needs to know?"

"Very funny." The stranger glanced at his surroundings again.

"Any chance you know where we are?" Eli raised an eyebrow.

_Definitely not from around here. _

"Deaddrop Cavern."

"Good to know." The stranger put his hands down. Kord observed the spacecraft as Trixie and Pronto put down their blasters.

"So where are you coming from?" The stranger paused.

"Lothal."

"_Where_?"

"Exactly."

* * *

><p>"For a kid, he sure talks a lot." Sabine leaned against the wall, listening in on Ezra's pleasant 'conversation' with the voices outside. Chopper spoke up grumpily in his usual way. "<em>Both<em> of them. Geez, this is one long interrogation." Hera sighed.

"Patience. Don't run out until the all-clear signal." Kanan crossed his arms.

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><p><em>"Ezra, you done yet?" <em>Kanan's voice traveled into Ezra's mind. He _really _had to learn that. The stranger with the adorable little explosive creatures broke the silence.

"I'm Eli. You?" _Quick say something!_

"Ok, Eli, can you and your friends help with our ship so we can be on our way?"

"We?" Eli glanced at his group.

"Kord's a mechanic." He motioned toward a large, blue person which looked like he could snap Ezra in half._  
><em>

"... sure." Only slightly convinced, Ezra knocked twice on the Ghost 'door.' First Kanan stepped out, then Sabine, and then Zeb, with Chopper rolling behind. _Once for backup, twice for almost safe, three times for all clear, _Ezra thought. Hera was in the Ghost, since the guns still worked, in case all went wrong.

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><p>The Rebels and the Shane gang looked at each other, unsure what to make of the situation. Zeb stared at Kord. Trixie stared at Sabine. Kanan and Ezra both stared at Eli. Pronto hid behind his mecha as Chopper laughed at him. Other than the mechanical hilarity, there was silence once more. Eli, who was staring at everyone in particular, cracked a smile.<p>

"So we have a deal?" Yet even _more_ silence. But let's be honest, that can't last forever, can it?

_**HOWL!** _Thundering vibrations could be felt in the ground as barks and howls filled the air. A member of Eli's group shouted out,"Wild slug hounds, at six!" Only a couple dozen meters away, a large pack of 'slug hounds' were advancing in their direction. Pronto screamed. Zeb growled. Eli was _really_ starting to regret his decision.

"Ghost to Spector 1. What's that racket?" Hera yelled, preparing the ship's weapons for battle.

"Spector 1 to Ghost. We've got company. Hold your fire until everyone's inside."

"Wait, e_veryone _everyone?"

"Just hold your fire!" Kanan yelled.

Ezra stood at the door.

"Everyone in!"

"Wait, _e__veryone_ everyone?" Zeb fired at the incoming beasts.

"Yes, _everyone! _Now move!"

As _everyone_ ran towards the entrance, the slug hounds came in at full force. Wild slugs ran for their lives as several razor sharp teeth raced after them. Rocks, dust, and slugs were kicked up during the catastrophe.

"They're getting closer!" One of the Rebels shouted, kicking and shooting furiously. Eli, hearing this shoutout, immediately brandished his blaster and loaded the double barrel.

As he took aim and shouted, "Fusion Shot!", Ezra watched as tiny adorable explosive creatures formed a large, not quite as adorable creature with flaming horns, and the slug hounds fled as it charged at them at high speed. _Awesome and terrifying. But also terrifying, _Ezra thought.

"Hurry up and get inside!"

"I got it, I got it!" Eli holstered his weapon and ran inside just as Kord blocked the door with a large slab of rock.

"Well that was fun, almost dying again."


	3. Very Very Small Tension

**Hey, it's me again! Just so you know, I'm more likely to work on chapters on weekends. Thanks for the reviews, I _really _like complements! Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"Who are you guys?" <em>Eli and Ezra both asked in unison. With both groups crammed into one room, and with the recent incidents, there was a _very small _bit of tension between the groups. Very, _very_ small. As in, _really really very small _tension.

"Hey, we asked _you_ first." Trixie crossed her arms.

Okay, so the _really small_ tension may or may not have been sarcasm.

"Yeah, and how do we know that _you_ didn't cause all this in the first place, huh?" Zeb cracked his knuckles. Kanan held him back. Burpy chirped his harassment.

"Exactly, we don't. In desperate times, the desperate seek out those who offer help."

"You and your Jedi sayings."_  
><em>

"_Guys._" Sabine sighed.

"We _really _need that help." Hera looked back from her pilot's seat.

"She's right. We're not going anywhere till we patch up the Ghost." The ever so popular silence fell upon everybody.

After about five minutes, the Rebels silently made a decision.

"Fine. Let's start again. Hi, I'm Ezra."

"Eli." The two teens shook hands, not exactly enjoying it.

"That's better. Now, we _have _to get this ship running. You said you had a mechanic?" Kanan asked with a stern face. Eli nodded.

"Kord's the best mechanic we know." Kord shrugged.

"I don't know Eli, there are a lot of damaged parts here that need to be replaced. Might be best to go down to Scrapheap, but... I'm not even sure if it as the things we need." Eli paused in consideration.

"Wouldn't hurt to check." He turned back to the Rebels, who were quietly debating whether or not to toss them out to the slug hounds. ("I'm telling you, the second we leave this ship, they'll ambush us." "You don't know that." "This isn't exactly the time to be arguing." "Whatever, kid, I still vote on kicking them out." "Shush!")

"So, do we have a deal or not?" Eli asked once more. The Rebels looked at each other.

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><p>"Remind me again why we agreed to this?" The two groups were driving on their mechas and 'borrowed' Imperial speeder bikes.<p>

"You have a better idea?" Hera said to Zeb.

"Yeah, beat 'em and leave 'em."

"Won't matter if we're stuck here." Ezra sped up next to Eli, who looked at him, but kept on driving.

"So, Lothal, huh?" Eli asked.

"Never heard of it."

"It's pretty far from here." Ezra looked around, watching some Hoverbugs fly by.

"What are those?"

"You're really not from around here, are you?" Eli asked.

"Slugs are some of the most common creatures in Slugterra."

Ezra could've sworn one of the slugs was laughing at him.

"So, this is your group?" Eli looked back at the Rebels, who have also seemed to have started conversations with the Shane gang.

"Yeah. Kanan, Zeb, Sabine, Hera, Chopper, and myself. One droid, one lasat, one twi'lek, an artist, and a jedi, not including myself." Zeb drove by the two teens, cackling.

"Ha! More like a jedi and a half." Ezra waited till he passed, and stuck his tongue at him before continuing his conversation with Eli.

"I have no idea what you just said." Ezra put on a smug expression.

"What, you don't believe me?"

"I do," Eli said slowly, in a joking manner.

"I just don't know what words just came out of your mouth." Ezra laughed, picking up speed.

"We must be pretty far away from home, then."

"Here it is," Kord pulled his mecha to a stop. Scrapheap Cavern was a giant junkyard piled high with, well, _junk. _The Shane gang and the Rebels stopped and looked around.

"Any chance of finding new engines for the Ghost?" Sabine asked. Kord shrugged.

"It's a stretch, but it's not impossible." Kanan stepped off his speeder bike.

"So where should we start looking?" "There might be some engines deeper into the cavern, but there's still-"

"Wait." Ezra stopped Kord, closing his eyes.

"What is it?" Eli asked. Three seconds later, Ezra yelled,

"_LOOK OUT!_" and shoved Eli away from another_** BOOM!**_

"Thanks." Eli jumped to his feet. A large mountain of used mecha parts, cooking utensils, and other unidentified junk had unexpectedly been blown to bits. Chortles of laughter sounded from behind the exploded pile. "Scrap Force!" The voices yelled. Eli sighed.

"How do we forget about these things?"

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><p><strong>They're starting to warm up! Yay! And BTW, I got Kanan's 'jedi saying' from online, so don't beat me up for not knowing anything!<strong>


	4. The Force

**Hi hi hi! Thanks for the reviews and supporting this fanfic! And just so you know, Haziscool, I am not revealing whether or not Eli and Ezra are twins or not, even though if they were then Eli may share his bond with the Force, and possibly be born on Empire day like Ezra, and even though the answer is a little obvious as I am extensively addressing this subject in a long run-on sentence... Enjoy!**

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><p>The Scrap Force was firing at a very fast rate, knocking over and blowing up towers of junk here and there. Eli and Kord ducked under the cover of a rundown mecha beast, and Kanan, Zeb, and Ezra were attempting to fire back at the slugs coming towards them. Trixie ran from her cover as it was crushed by an incoming Grenuke slug.<p>

"Seriously? Haven't you guys learned from your last visit?" Trixie fired an Arachnet, trapping a Rammstone headed towards Hera and Sabine and flinging it back to it's slinger, who screamed and dove out of the way before resuming fire.

"Guess not." Trixie smiled, firing some more.

Ezra watched from his cover as shots were fired back and forth between both sides of the junkyard, observing the slugs as they transformed. He was fascinated by what he saw. Some flamed, others electrified, and one shot bubbles and appeared to swallow people whole. All the while, the crashing of metal and the sounds of screaming filled the cavern.

_Sounds a little like home, _Ezra thought. The opposing gang members even reminded Ezra of Stormtroopers. Only less organized. Two seconds later, Eli and Kord ran from their now blown-up cover and crouched down next to Ezra.

"You know these guys?" Ezra asked.

"Yeah, first bumped into them a while back."

Eli jumped up and managed to fire Burpy towards two Scrap Force members, who retreated, screaming their heads off.

"Ambushed us and tried to take our blasters. And all," **_BOOM! _**A surge of heat signaled that Eli's Infurnus had hit the other gang's cover.

"For an air freshener."

"_Seriously?_" Ezra aimed his slingshot and shot down two Hop Rock slugs.

"I won't even ask."

"That'd be best."

After a couple more minutes of shooting, Kanan joined Ezra's cover.

"Hey, little crowded here!"

"Sorry!" The jedi looked up. _**BOOM! **_He quickly ducked back down.

"I got this," Kanan said. With a small movement, he activated his lightsaber.

Eli was in awe at the weapon for a very brief moment before his expression turned to horror.

"Wait!" Eli"s hand held down on Kanan's shoulder.

"You can't just hurt the slugs like that! Their ammo is _alive,_ you know." Ezra frowned.

"They're still trying to shoot at us!"

"They're _alive._ People dual all the time with slugs. We don't kill them. We _never_ kill slugs."

Eli's face was like stone. His expression seemed piercing. Kanan's shoulder was also starting to ache under Eli's surprisingly strong grip.

"Alright." Kanan deactivated his lightsaber, appalled and impressed at Eli's statement.

"So now what?" Ezra quickly pointed at a massive-looking tower of discarded scrap.

"Over there!" Eli glanced over his shoulder and shook his head.

"That's too heavy to push. Not even a Rammstone can ram that." Kanan and Ezra looked at each other and smiled.

"Watch." Eli did watch as the jedi and his apprentice closed their eyes and raised their hands. As they did so, Eli felt a mysterious yet faint pull emanating from out of nowhere.

What were these crazy people doing?

_Screeech. _What was that?

_Screeeeech._ Eli stared at Eli and Kanan, who were unmoving. _It couldn't be. _

Were they?

_Screeeeeeeeech- _

_**CRASH!**_

The tower of badly-rusted metal crashed directly onto the Scrap Force, who fled the site screaming like mad. Eli took in the situation before laughing.

"Wow. Not bad."

"Thanks." Eli looked around.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just that usually right after a fight something tries to attack us-"

Do I really have to make the sound again?

**_BOOM!_**

A strange, chortling laughter filled the cavern as a cloud of dust rose over the Shane Gang and the Rebels.

_I jinxed it, didn't I? _Eli thought.

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><p><strong>Yes, yes he did. Thank you, people who could be running a marathon or following their dreams but are reading my posts!<strong>


	5. So Who Was It?

**Hello again! _Wow,_ I _love_ complements! Thanks for showing your support for this fanfic! And spoiler alert, Dr. Blakk will not be appearing in this fanfic for a couple of surprise reasons... Broncogirl6 owes someone a Master Ball. ok byeeeee!**

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><p>When the dust cleared, a large, disheveled looking creature was snickering along with the returned Scrap Force.<em><br>_

"Imbeciles!" The octoad known as Boss Ember bellowed.

"You couldn't take these weaklings out? Ugh!" He waved a tentacle-like arm in the air.

"The lot of you make me want to _puke! _I really must to rethink my standards in this gang!" Several of the gang-members gave nervous smiles, making the octoad give a snarl before turning to the two vigilant groups, with weapons raised and ready to fire.

"Well, look what we have here. Has the Shane Gang brought some friends to come back for another _air freshener?_" He chuckled at his small insult.

"Never mind the air freshener!" Eli frowned, narrow-eyed.

"We're just gonna come and go when we get what we need, if you'd just move aside."

Ember's expression only turned uglier.

"I don't take orders from anybody, especially _you,_ Eli Shane. Whatever _you _need must be very high interest." One could not believe a grin could be so... _disturbing_.

"Tell me, what is this special item?" Eli pursed his lips, locking his aim. Kanan took this as an opportunity to speak.

"Let us through, or you might not enjoy the consequences. We'll just find some engines and we'll leave. That simple." A Scrap Force member, Straggus, crossed his arms, a smug look on his face.

"And what if we don't?"

Ezra drew back his slingshot.

"Would you like to find out?" Silence.

_"Sure."_ Ember drew his four blasters and fired them.

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><p>"You just <em>had<em> to open up your mouth, didn't you?" Zeb growled, struggling to turn to the person beside him.

"It _wasn't _my fault! I though we doing, like, an intimidation thing!" Ezra shot back.

"Could you keep it down? The Imperials on Lothal can hear you two shouting all the time!" Sabine chided, trying to free herself from her restraints. Chopper gave his own unique grumbles. Rebels and the Shane Gang were currently all bundled up tightly together in an Arachnet web, stripped of their weapons.

"_Quiet!_" Boss Ember holstered his weapons and stooped down, observing every face in the Arachnet cluster, briefly pausing at Eli and Ezra. They both flinched at both the face _and _the breath.

"Hmmm..." The octoad mused before moving on. "An interesting group. I wonder, how did such a group end up with the Shane Gang?"

"None of your business." Trixie said.

"Shouldn't you be busy terrorizing nursing homes or something?" Ember simply laughed.

"Been there, done that. Besides, I have much bigger things to deal with than your group of puke-inducing freaks!" ("Well, look who's talking." Ezra muttered to nobody in particular.)

"_First,_ these groups of annoying little kids came and covered the whole cavern in toilet paper..." As Ember started pacing about, ranting about several surprising accounts of turmoil which happened during the past week, Eli started looking around for something, _anything_, which could help.

_A lamp, some old slug tubes, eww, what even is that? _Eli thought as he scanned the cavern.

_Yes! Broken glass! _He looked back at Ember.

"... and they _dared_ to suggest therapy! Why, I would've puked..."

He seemed pretty occupied.

With his hands bound, Eli couldn't possibly reach the glass shard sticking out of a nearby pile. He would've moved on if he hadn't remembered the occurrence which had happened just a few minutes ago.

"Psst. Hey."

Ezra felt a sharp jab in his back.

"What?" He whispered.

"You remember that-that _thing_ you did back there?" Eli muttered.

"You think you can do it again?"

"...and _now,_ you goody two-shoes peoples are running around _my _cavern looking for whatever sort of junk?" Boss Ember fumed, no longer really talking to the captives but to himself.

"_Wow, _sounds like you've had a long week." Eli said _very loudly._

"Sure wouldn't want to be you." His friends shot him a questionable look. Eli persisted,

"But it's _still_ a shame that we're stuck down here."

Still questionable.

"There _isn't possibly ANY WAY OUT OF YOUR CLEVER AMBUSH, IS THERE?_" Eli raised his voice loud enough for the rest of the group to catch on.

"Yeah, there isn't any hope for us to ever see again, yes?" Pronto said.

"I guess we'll never make it home then." Kanan 'sighed'. This behavior wasn't fooling the octoad, but he was still very befuddled on the situation to notice the faint clinking of glass dragging along the ground.

"What are you doing? What plan are you up to?" Ember uttered to himself.

_Three, two, one..._

Boss Ember yelled as Ezra broke free from his restraints, shoved him aside, and grabbed his slingshot from the pile of which their weapons were lodged.

"Why, _you little - _get him!"

Straggus was about to jump Ezra from behind!

"See ya, sucker!" The reptilian creature yelled as he held his blaster.

"_Look out!_"

Before the shot was fired and Ezra could react, Straggus was sent flying back and landed... straight in the mysterious substance Eli saw earlier. _Aww..._ Eli thought. _Sick._

"Let's get outta here!" Scrap Force were off running in panic. Now Boss Ember really _was_ considering therapy. After Kord helped Ezra to his feet, he handed back the group's weapons ("I have to admit, I kind of missed my lightsaber." Kanan said.)

"Thanks for the save, Kanan." Ezra brushed off his sleeves of dust and rubble and whatever that gross stuff was that managed to splash onto him.

"Um... Ezra?"

"What?"

"That wasn't me."

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><p><strong>Ooooooo, who was it then? I mean, if you bothered to read the last chapter, the answer might be obvious. Kk, byeeeeeeeee!<strong>


	6. What Did I Just Do?

**Hey! Did I mention how much I love looking through reviews for complements? I did? Oh... Whatever. Enjoy the chapter!**

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><p>"What do you mean, <em>it wasn't you?<em>" Ezra felt as though he had lost it. Kanan held up his hands in his defense.

"I though you saved yourself!"

"I'm absolutely sure that wasn't me!"

"Then who was it?"

"If I knew we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

Ezra and Kanan were practically shouting at each other until they were both out of breath. With the cavern finally quiet, the silence had returned to haunt the air. And when it did, Kanan couldn't help but notice a faint, yet strong Force signature emerging from none other than the Shane Gang leader.

"Ezra?" A stunned expression fell onto the jedi's face as he waved over his padawan.

"A word? _Alone?_" Ezra nodded, crossing his arms together as they left the rest of the group to start looking for anything useful to the Ghost. Once the two were alone, Kanan turned to face his student.

"You know that other kid - Eli, right?" He said in an unusually stern voice which honestly frightened the padawan _ever so slightly._

"Yeah, what about him?" Ezra asked, not needing an answer.

_The Force, that's what. _Ezra thought.

"Yes, the Force is strong with him." Kanan said, reading Ezra's thoughts while gripping the lightsaber in its holster.

"I suppose just as strong as you are. You'd better talk to him before he snaps." Kanan gripped the lightsaber at his holster.

"You think he knows?"

Ezra shrugged.

"Judging on the fact that he had no idea what a jedi was when I mentioned you to him, probably not. Besides,"

As if on cue, they both turned to their friends who were currently trying to make their way onto a particularly large pile of rusty mecha beasts.

"He's probably not even thinking about it."

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><p>"What about this?" Trixie asked, heaving a large engine nearly as tall as her out from underneath a blanket of soda cans and tarnished silver cogs. Hera shook her head, digging through a mound of rubber tires and plastic crates.<p>

"With those, we can't even lift off the ground. Look for something a little bigger."

"You mean like _this?_" Zeb grunted as he set down a hefty engine so big Trixie couldn't reach the top if she stood on a box and jumped. Hera took one glance at the engine and shook her head again.

"Too big, it'll take a week to install that one, and another five days to get it working." Kord, who was walking by, nodded his head in agreement.

"That's pure copper too. Too heavy to take off without it ripping half your ship off in the process." Chopper laughed and rolled on by, zapping the lasat in the process. Scowling, Zeb clambered atop the copper engine and leaped onto another pile.

As all this commotion was going on, Eli was pushing is way through a swirl of thoughts as he dug through his third (or was it fourth?) pile.

_What happened back there?_

_What was it?_

_How did it happen?_

After a few brief moments, Eli stopped what he was doing after feeling a presence behind him.

"The Force isn't a bad thing." A voice said. Ezra. The Shane leader stood up to face him.

"_The Force?_" Eli gave a chuckle.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who named it." Ezra smiled, arms crossed. "Besides, it's kinda the reason I'm with these guys." The jedi-in-training kicked at a piece of old rubble, watching as it noisily tumbled down the mountain of long-discarded possessions.

"Got me off the streets. More or less." The two teens stood, silently staring back at one another. Finally, Eli asked,

"What is the Force?"

"Can't explain in less than an hour."

"Oh _come on._ It can't be that long of an explanation."

"Uh, it actually can. Trust me. Long story short, Jedi good, Dark Side bad. Sooooo... see ya."

And with that, Ezra jumped off the mass of junk, bounced across several old fridges and mechas, vaulted over Zeb ("I swear I'll beat you to a pulp the next time you do that!" Zeb growled.), and landed before sending Eli a mock salute.

Eli whistled in some new respect before jumping down in a similar fashion.

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><p>"Bad news, we have absolutely no way of finding any engines." Hera put her hands on her hips as she spoke to the groups.<p>

"Can't we just get a generator and stuff Zeb in to power it?" Ezra's joke was responded by a hard shove from behind. Zeb received a shove right back. The two of them were both shoved to the ground by Chopper, who spun around in circles in an amused manner.

"Cut it out, you two." Sabine said, annoyed. "Any ideas?"

"We won't make it back to Deaddrop, but we can make it to Quiet Lawn." Eli said. "Hopefully Redhook's still in business."

Kord huffed. "Last time we went there he threw a chair at us and told us to scram. _Pronto._" The molenoid laughed nervously.

"In Pronto's defense, I thought he really liked bug soufflé."

"Whatever. We're kind of out of options." Sabine put on her helmet. "Everyone agree on going?"

Everyone, including a reluctant Kord, voted yes.

"But this time, Pronto, you'd better stay outside."


	7. Redhook

**Hello again, my faithful readers! And, to answer some questions, (yamikage) I _always_ update on Saturdays. TODAY IS AN EXEPTION BECAUSE I'M ON A SUGAR HIGH AND MY FINGERS NEED TO MOVE. I can't update any other day because I am busy with school or I am lazy. And just a tip, pay _extra _attention to Red Hook this chapter for _very _subtle hints of the future. Enjoy!**

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><p>The Rebels and the Shane Gang were speaking amongst each other as they were making their way down a long road to Quiet Lawn Cavern.<p>

"So, what's it like beyond the surface?" Trixie pointed to the roof of the cavern. Sabine shrugged.

"Besides the constant need for credits, the Empire taking over the galaxy, and nearly dying every day, it's pretty peaceful."

Chopper was having his own fun bugging everyone around him, especially Pronto, who always shrieked whenever the droid managed to zap him when he wasn't looking.

"You're a freaking idiot, Chopper!" Zeb shouted as he was shocked once more. The droid appeared to be having way too much fun.

Eli smiled, shaking his head as he rode up beside Ezra.

"So, you're training to be a jedi, right?" He asked. Ezra shooed away a giggling Chopper before nodding.

"Better than living under the Empire's rules. Never thought anyone could stand up to them before I joined." The padawan sighed.

"I was different then. I was always on my own."

"What about your parents?"

"Lost them a long time ago." The two went quiet, and for a while, all they could hear were the shouts of a lasat and a droid in the background.

"I lost my dad when I was ten." Ezra looked up from the ground at these words.

"I... lost my parents when I was seven."

Eli ultimately felt a pang of guilt for prying into Ezra's past. He obviously had been by himself for a very long time. Ezra sensed these emotions and said,

"It's fine. I'm sorry about your father." Ezra looked back up and saw his jedi master glance at him before looking away. The group (other than Chopper, of course) was completely silent for the rest of the trip.

* * *

><p>"Finally. Quiet Lawn." Kord sighed. Zeb pulled to a stop beside the cave troll.<p>

"Exactly _why _is this place called-" The lasat was answered by a sharp _shhh!_ Zeb turned to face the Quiet Lawn inhabitant, who pointed upward toward the top of the cavern.

"Grenuke slugs. Wake them up, the whole place goes _BOOM!"_ Kord explained, receiving another round of hushes and shushes._  
><em>

"_Sorry."_ Kord whispered with a small tinge of sarcasm. Eli drove his mecha further down the dirt road.

"Come on. Redhook's is just a little further down. He's pretty good with this stuff."

"Um, isn't Red Hook a _blastersmith?_" Trixie crossed her arms.

"The Mecha-Beast Forge is all the way across Slugterra. It could take forever to get there. Plus, we could get some unwanted attention." Kord presumed, rubbing his neck.

"And we don't really have that kind of time. The Imperials will find out where we are sooner or later." Kanan pointed out.

"And then this planet will be under the dictation of the Empire." Hera agreed. After the discussion was settled, the groups made their way to Redhook's place _very quietly _in courtesy to the residents of Quiet Lawn.

"Alright. Pronto, _stay here._ We don't want to mess this up again." Eli said in a serious tone when they arrived. A very upset and complaining Pronto plopped down beside the blastersmith's door.

_Knock, knock, knock. _

Eli calmly knocked against the door until it was opened by an elderly man with a large, metal hook instead of an arm. ("Oh, now the name make's a lot more sense." Ezra said.)

"Hmph! What do you folks want?" Red Hook grumbled. "I see you brought your molenoid friend." Pronto glanced at the man, smiling nervously. Eli ignored Redhook's disinterest in his friend and said,

"We have a couple of friends who need some engines. We already checked Scrapheap and-"

"Let me stop you there." Redhook held up his claw-like hook.

"You do realize I'm a blastersmith, right?"

"Told you." Trixie muttered. Ezra stepped forward.

"We really need those engines, and we don't exactly have all the time in the world." He said firmly. Red Hook considered the padawan for a moment, a curious look in his eyes (or rather, _eye_).

"Is that so?" The old man asked.

"Well, you'd better come inside then." To the Shane Gang's utter surprise, the blastersmith opened his door and allowed everyone in, including Pronto.

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><p>The two groups were getting some well-deserved rest as Eli, Ezra, Kanan, and Kord stayed up that night to speak with Red Hook about the engines.<p>

"Hmm... these are some pretty strange designs." Redhook mused.

"What are you people planning to do with a contraption of this scale, hmm?"

"Uhhhhhhh..." Kanan tried to come up with a believable cover story. Eli had already explained how the people of Slugterra could not know about 'the surface' above them.

"We, umm..."

"Don't hurt yourself, young man, I know why you need it." Redhook leaned back in his chair, giving some hint of a smile, leaving the jediwith a blank expression. The blastersmith gave a chuckle And spoke in a low voice.

"Caleb Dume. Padawan of Jedi master Depa Billaba. Fancy see'n you down here."

Kanan's eyes widened in shock.


	8. What Do You Know?

**Welcome back! Did I say subtle hints last chapter? Yeah, I ment _major_ hints.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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><p>"Wha- how do you know all that?" Kanan seemed so stiff and frozen you'd get the impression that he'd shatter to pieces if he were to trip and fall.<p>

Ezra, concerned about his master, glanced at Eli, who shrugged. Redhook had never left Slugterra, had he?

"Calm, yourself, jedi." Redhook chuckled, fiddling with the base of his hook.

"Let's say that I have... _some _experience with the Empire."

_Click._ Redhook turned something in his mechanical arm. Nothing happened.

_Click. Click. Click click click._

"Grr..." The blastersmith growled. A solid _smack_, and the metal talons of the hook retracted, and a bright, cobalt blue beam of light shot itself from inside the hook, illuminating the small room with a peaceful glow. The sleeping crew shifted slightly, but remained asleep.

This time, everyone (who was awake, of course) stood ridged in place, stunned at what they were seeing.

Redhook, a grumpy, ill-tempered man which seemingly seldom left his own house, wielded a lightsaber.

"You're a _jedi?_" Ezra's eyes grew big. Eli stared at the old man, shaking his head in confusion.

"But that would mean that he-"

"Was born outside of Slugterra?" Redhook cut in.

"Well, it's your lucky day, Shane. I happened to be born off this planet - yes, I know what a planet is, Eli, don't make that face with me."

He deactivated his lightsaber, taking the peaceful glow with it, and lowered his voice a little further so that the three had to strain to hear.

"In fact, I happen to know that the entire Shane generation exists on the Surface."

Eli's gaze fell to the floor. A thought-filled silence filled the room, masking every possible sound except for the slight snoring of a molenoid, cave troll, and lasat. This silence, unlike any other kind of silence, seemed to broadcast everyone's thoughts and words without making a sound.

This silence felt noisy and mum at the same time.

"You'd better get some rest. It'll be day before you know it." Redhook sighed at last.

Agreeing, Eli and Kanan both went to join the dozing crew on some spare hammocks Redhook managed to find lying around.

Ezra was about to follow when he felt Redhook's hand on his shoulder.

"Can I borrow your friend for a minute?" He asked. Kanan glanced back, considering. The jedi drowsily nodded before instantly drifting to sleep.

Ezra turned to face Redhook. Based off his appearance alone, you'd be unable to tell if he were a jedi or not. Then again, he didn't recognize Kanan as a jedi at first glance, either.

"So, suppose you're that young man's padawan, right?" Redhook smiled.

"Your bond is strong with him."

Ezra crossed his arms.

"Are you sure you can build those engines?" The teen asked. Redhook shrugged.

"Repaired a couple ships in my day, shouldn't be too much of a problem."

He walked a few paces away from their conversation, opening a nearby drawer.

"Can I ask you a small question?" He asked, rustling though some old tools and spare blaster parts.

When Ezra didn't respond, he pulled out a small, framed object anyway.

"This happen to be your father?"

That caught the padawan's attention. The photograph showed two faded figures, but one could clearly see the blastersmith standing beside a tall, bearded man. One who looked just like Ezra.

"Yeah, that's him." Ezra said, taking the photograph.

"You knew him?"

"Ephraim was a good man, speaking out against the Empire with your mother." A large smile grew across Redhook's face as he laughed a bit.

"What?"

Redhook shook his head.

"It's nothing. Just need a little time to myself, that's all." He put down the picture, staring out a small window.

After ten minutes of standing, Ezra climbed into his own hammock and fell into a deep slumber, leaving Redhook in his own little spot.

"Ha," The old man silently said to the night.

"If only you could see them now, my friend."

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><p><strong>Ooooooo, what does he know? What will happen next? Will I be able to finish this book report my teacher assigned over winter break? Hope you liked this chapter!<strong>


	9. Realization

**I'm running out of ways to say hello at the beginning of a chapter... bonjour? Anyway, I credit myself for making the new cover pic. Yay, I did something useful! Well done me! But don't listen to me praise myself, enjoy the chapter!**

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><p><strong><em>BANG, BANG, BANG!<em>**

The Rebels and the Shane gang nearly tumbled out of their worn hammocks (except for Ezra and Eli, who both somehow stayed fast asleep due to staying up so late, and for Pronto, who did) to the sound of hammering metal and the whirring of drills... and the sharp metallic scent in the air.

" 'Bout time you folks woke up." Redhook grumbled above the noise. On a small makeshift table, a massive array of tools and parts were strewn about.

Kanan sat up, looking over at his sleeping padawan. Something was going on in his head, the jedi could tell, but was too wiped out to think anything of it. After all, they did just find out that a jedi was able to survive the Empire and stay down in Slugterra long enough to know a long generation of Shanes. Kanan was surprised he didn't stay asleep. Then he recounted his thoughts and glanced over at the newfound jedi, who held a finger up to his lips.

_Probably likes his privacy._

"Chopper, you good for nothing rust bucket, get over here!" Zeb growled as tore himself from a large knot which used to be a hammock and ran after a giggling droid. Hera crossed her arms disapprovingly.

"Do the two of you want to be banned from my ship and locked together in a room?" The twi'lek said firmly. Zeb grumbled something intelligible and very possibly offensive as he dropped Chopper, who waved his mechanical arm and chuckled mischievously. Burpy and Joules jumped down from Eli's hammock and showed the droid how they felt.

As all this noise filled the room and panicked a few Quiet Lawn residents, Eli and Ezra still remained deep in their sleep.

* * *

><p><em>"No, please! Not the children!" Mira Bridger cried, pulling two children close. One child Ezra could easily make out as himself. The other, however, had a blurred face, and could not be distinguished as <em>_recognizable. Or memorable, for that matter._

_Ezra watched as his younger self stood huddled close to his mother as stormtroopers barged through the door with extremely excessive force, which shook the ground beneath them._

_"Stay away!" Ephraim Bridger pulled Ezra and the young stranger away from the advancing Imperials._

_"Mira and Ephraim Bridger. You are hereby arrested for treason and actions taken against the Empire. You and your family shall suffer the consequences." An armored Imperial boomed, frightening the children and the cowering Rodian in the corner._

_"No!" Ezra tried to yell, but no sound came out. He tried to tackle the armored man, but he found he couldn't move._

_He and his family were helpless._

_Another shaking of the ground as more soldiers arrived outside, rifles raised. This time, dust came crumbling down from the ceiling on impact._

_"There is no escaping the Empire, " The man signaled the troopers behind him, who came and grabbed Mira as she struggled to protect her... _sons?_ Before she was taken away, Ezra watched as his father brought down a nearby pot against the stormtrooper helmets, leaving them stunned and dazed._

_"Run!" He yelled._

_The ceiling crumbled once more before a few bits of it gave in, tumbling down on the heads of everyone in the room, knocking both the children out as they collapsed to the floor._

* * *

><p>Ezra's eyes shot open as he nearly jumped clear off his hammock in a cold sweat. The first thing he saw was a half-frozen droid surrounded by nearly Eli's entire arsenal of slugs, followed by a smell reminding the padawan of the bathroom of the Ghost.<p>

Seconds later, Eli woke in a very similar fashion, hitting his head with his own knee. Nobody else was really paying attention to the teens except for Kanan and a few slugs. Everyone else was trying to tug Chopper out of the frozen ground.

"Wha- what did you guys do now?" Eli playfully scolded his slugs, rubbing his lightly bruised head. For a moment, Ezra forgot his dream and was now clutching his sides trying not to tear up from laughing.

"You two okay?" Ezra turned to his master. Kanan wore a puzzled and slightly concerned expression.

"Looks like both of you got a rough awakening."

"I'm fine, _master._" Ezra lied trough his teeth, trying his best not to spill his nightmare like a child. Eli did the same, hiding his thoughts as well as Ezra. Apparently, not very well.

"You two are horrible at lying." Kanan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I told you, you can't become a jedi if you can't be honest."

Again, the noisy silence fell. Except the air was filled with Zeb yelling "It wasn't my fault!" instead of snoring. With a face of stone, the jedi connected with his padawan's thoughts as well as the newest force-sensitive. In an instant, a face of stone melted into water as realization and surprise hit the jedi as he kneeled down beside both adolescents.

"Your dreams." He said.

"You both have the same memory."

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><p><strong>*Gasp!* *Chokes* *Becomes an angel and flies away in happiness*<strong>

**My masterpiece! What did you guys think of the little flashback and the cover? (I know that it isn't the best but it's something!)**

**Happy Holidays to all!**


	10. A New Light

**Wow, I am soooooooo bored. Maybe I should write another chapter! Why the heck not! I've got creativity flowing into my fingers. Maybe I'll be able to update every day until the end of break! Who needs sleep, anyway? ... I ate too many cookies.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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><p><em>"WHAT?"<em> Eli and Ezra nearly fell backwards in shock. Redhook stopped what he was doing and glanced over.

"Calm down, Chop, a little ice won't kill you!" Hera was saying, holding back an angry droid from charging after some slugs _mocking_ him from a distance. Some shushing could be heard from outside the blastersmith's home. Ezra took a deep breath and said in a strained but quieter voice,

"That's impossible, I-I..." The padawan's eyes became slightly glossy.

"I was dreaming about the night my parents were taken away." The Shane Gang leader looked up with a confused look in his eyes.

"I dreamt about my parents too..."

_...under arrest..._

_...no escape..._

_...Empire..._

"Well, it was only a matter of time." A gruff voice said. Redhook stood beside the boys' hammocks, staring down at a picture which lay in his lone claw. His one eye looked slightly upset, and more than usual. No one noticed that the whole room had stopped moving about to listen.

"Ephraim Bridger and Will Shane. Both of your fathers I knew well. But... " Redhook sighed, handing Eli the all too familiar photo. Redhook and...

"Dad." Ezra and Eli were shocked at their own words once they were out in the open.

_...the children!_

Redhook chuckled. Words were treasure, sure, but faces were priceless. Seriously, Ezra could've sold their expressions on the black market and be set for life.

"Congrats, boys. You two are brothers."

* * *

><p><em>Brothers.<em>

"So... this is a little awkward."

"Tell me about it." With Hera discussing the half-finished engines with Redhook and a defrosted Chopper, the crew _finally _had the time to spout all of their questions to the apparent siblings.

"I just don't get how Eli's down here and Ezra's all the way on..." Trixie mused, slumping down in exhaustion from defending her slugs from a rampaging Chopper.

"Lothal." Ezra finished half-heartedly, staring at the floor and not really paying much attention.

Eli glanced over at his _brother._ It was very and _still_ weird to call him that, as they've only been together for only a day, of course, but nevertheless he could feel that something was off about Ezra's attitude. Somehow, while he didn't know, he just _knew._

The Shane shot an uneasy look at his _brother's_ jedi master, who silently nodded.

"Um, Ezra?" Eli stood up, motioning his _brother_ over for a private conversation. The two of them headed over to the opposite of the small room, away from the curious crew.

Once the two were alone, each took a few minutes to regard the other. Now that they thought about it, the resemblance was a little unsettling. Almost like looking in a mirror. A very dusty and fogged mirror.

Eli leaned back against the wall as Ezra slowly made his way over. _Even the slugs can tell._ Eli thought as Burpy jumped to his _brother's _feet with a few sad chirps.

"What's up with you?"

"What?" Ezra crossed his arms, not wishing to look his _brother_ in the eye.

"Come on." Eli pressed forward.

"I'm not _that_ bad of a _brother_." Eli attempted to lighten the mood, hating the way the word _brother_ twisted in his voice. Ezra glanced back up.

"It's not that..." He muttered.

"It's just... we lost our parents at different ages, at different times and... on different planets..." Eli thought long and hard before realizing what he meant.

"No," He said, suddenly confronting Ezra with strong purpose.

"I don't care what you think, but our parents wouldn't just leave you behind on another planet. _They wouldn't_."

"I mean- look, for eight years I had to resort to stealing for food on Lothal. I thought they were killed by the Empire!" Ezra snapped.

"I was alone too, you know!" Eli clamped down his tongue.

_Floppers. Why did I say that? _Ezra opened his mouth to fire back when his attention was turned to the window.

_Tap, tap. Tap, tap. _

Ezra closed his eyes.

"Something's out there."

_Tap, tap. TAP, TAP._

The sharp tapping continued. Eli watched his _brother_ closely. There was a strange feeling in the air.

Was this the Force?

"No. Not something." The padawan said.

"_Someone._"

_TAP, TAP!_

The boys ducked as the window shattered to pieces.


	11. A New Fight

**Ok, I lied. I'm not _that_ flexible to update every day. But I _will_ update more often. And sorry if I messed up the last chapter several times... oops. It should be fixed by now ;) But still, don't you just _love_ drama and conflict between two characters? Me too!**

**P.S. You know how I said that Blakk wouldn't be appearing in this fanfic? Weeeeeeeellllll... I lied about that too. I'm so evil!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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><p>Shards of broken glass scattered onto the floor as the window smashed to bits.<p>

"Kanan?" Ezra quickly shouted in a worried voice. The jedi stood up, grabbing his lightsaber.

"I know, kid, I felt it too. Come on!" Kanan quickly activated his weapon and barged out the door, with everyone else following close behind.

* * *

><p>The outside of Redhook's was quiet - much quieter than the rest of the cavern.<p>

"There's nobody here." Sabine whispered, rifles raised and ready to fire. Kanan shook his head.

"Someone's here, all right. But something's wrong..." The jedi scanned his surroundings, stopping at an old trash can.

"You're right. Something is wrong." A voice said.

"The Shane's still alive."

A tall, blond teen about the same age as Eli and Ezra suddenly jumped out from behind the trash can, brandishing his blaster and taking aim at Eli's head.

"Twist!" Eli and the rest of the Shane Gang loaded their own blasters and did the same (except at Twist's head, not Eli's, obviously). Ezra pulled back his slingshot and stepped back.

"What do you want?" Ezra asked the stranger, who eyed him with curiosity.

"Just some revenge on the Shane family." He said in an innocent voice, which quickly turned ugly as he switched his target.

"_All_ of them." The group ran for cover as a Grimmstone charged at the padawan.

_He knows! _Eli thoughts he clutched his blaster. _And now..._ Eli's heart sank.

_...Blakk does too._

"Kid!"

Eli snapped out of his small trance to see his _brother _lying unconscious on the ground. The ghouled Rammstone had caught him. Many shots were being fired, but Twist easily dodged around them all with ease and skill, pointing his blaster at it's original target.

"You lose, Shane."

"That's enough!" Kanan landed skillfully behind Twist and managed to knock him to his feet. Before he could get up, Eli unintentionally reached out his hand and, with a small movement and little thought, summoned the blaster to his outstretched hand.

A shakey and dazed Ezra cracked open his eyes and smiled.

"Not bad, _brother._" He chuckled to himself before jumping to his feet. Now, Twist was on the ground trying to stand.

"What'd Blakk make you do this time?" Trixie crossed her arms, blaster still in hand. The fallen teen got onto his knees and put his hands in the air.

"He let me go free, since we both want the same thing." Twist said in a mocking way. Eli frowned at this.

"So you want Slugterra to be overrun by angry biting monsters and eventually fall apart? I don't think you two are really on the same page."

"What do _you_ know about me, Shane?" Twist scowled.

"Besides, our lives would be _much _easier with you gone."

Twist slowly stood, with a small grin spreading onto his face.

"You know, Shane," He said.

"There's a reason nobody can get a hold of me."

Four people - Kanan, Ezra, Eli, and Redhook - noticed it first, a small trace of darkness rising from the boy's mind. When Twist turned around, his eyes were a bright amber before he grabbed his slug, Loki, and disappeared.

"He-he's given in to the..." Before Ezra could say another word, a sharp, piercing, whistle-like sound wrapped around both Ezra and Eli's ears. The two brothers gripped their heads and watched as the whole cavern started to grow fuzzy, then swirling, then black. Both brothers were passed out as they were rushed inside.


	12. The Scars Of The Past

**Surprise! Did you guys like Dark Side Twist? I know I probably should've added some more uses of the Force for him... but who cares I made a plot _Twist_. Get it? I know, that joke was pretty lame :P. And yes, I will put the word _brother_ in italics just for the heck of it.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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><p><em>Eli found himself standing at the top of a tall building - a tower, perhaps. He definitely wasn't in Slugterra, since the sun shone bright and high in the sky.<em>

_How long was it since he last saw the sun? Not for a while. The Shane had forgotten how the sun had risen every morning, welcoming daylight._

'Where am I?'_ Eli thought. Sure, this wasn't Slugterra, but this wasn't anywhere that Eli knew of. As he looked around, he saw that the walls were lined with several varieties of helmets marked with strange symbols and other small trinkets one might find interesting. There were also some small living __necessities: a small sack of food, a canteen filled with water, and even a couple books covered in dust from disuse._

_How can somebody live like this?_

_Eli jumped as the door slid open suddenly, and was shocked to see Ezra walk through. Not taking any notice what so ever of his _brother's _presence, the teen slumped down on top of a very small makeshift bed, which didn't look comfortable in the slightest._

_"Stupid Empire." Ezra muttered to himself as he pulled back a sleeve and inspected his arm. It was bleeding slightly, but looked _really _painful and possibly infected._

'Ouch.' _Eli said out loud. _

_Completely oblivious to the sound of his voice, Ezra reached into his backpack and pulled out a minuscule first-aid kit, branded with the same strange symbol Eli had spotted on some of the helmets. Ezra's voice echoed through Eli's mind._

_"... for eight years I had to resort to stealing for food on Lothal. I thought they were killed by the Empire!" Ezra had said._

_No wonder Eli was unfamiliar with this place. He wasn't even on the same __planet!_

_After cleaning out the wound a bit, Ezra suddenly started coughing, and wobbled a little, leaning against the wall to stay upright._

_Eli felt bad for doubting his _brother. _He didn't steal, but at least he didn't have to do it to live. At least his old house had running water and electricity. At least his old house was actually a house, and not a tower that is practically a skyscraper (Although that would be kinda cool minus everything else)._

_The memory shifted, and suddenly Eli was running beside Ezra as he dashed atop the rooftops above a market square. His bag was stuffed full of __fruit, which probably meant that he was on a little shopping spree. When he finally came to a stop, he crouched low to spy on a group of men standing beside some soldiers in white armor._

_"Yeah, those bucket-heads are awful." Ezra's voice echoed once more._

_"All stormtroopers do is fire and miss."_

_"What seems to be the problem?" One of the men said._

_"Problem?" Another said._

_"You called in a code red!"_

_"I-I don't now what your talking about." The Imperial scratched his head. Ezra gave a muffled laugh._

_"Almost feel bad for them." Ezra smiled, watching as the Imperials exchanged confused looks._

_"Almost."_

_Once more, the memory shifted, and Ezra could be seen walking aboard a large ship, which Eli recognized as the ship which had crashed in Deaddrop cavern only yesterday, the Ghost._

_Ezra passed through several hallways, and stopped at a single door. When it opened, Kanan was floating a strange object in the air with his mind, which was projecting a hologram of sorts._

_"Trust in the force." The holograph said before disappearing inside the object. The jedi opened his eyes, standing when he saw Ezra, his future padawan. Eli watched as his _brother _held out a weapon in his hand. Smiling, Kanan took the lightsaber and patted Ezra on the shoulder. He was now a part of the Ghost crew._

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><p><em>Ezra was in a small children's room, covered with posters of superheroes and small crayon drawings of slugs. It was a cold nighttime outside, and did not look like Slugterra or Lothal at all.<em>

_A small snoring sound was traveling through the air, and Ezra turned his attention to a small boy asleep in bed. The boy was probably nine or ten at the time, and, although he looked slightly different, Ezra could tell that the young boy was his _brother.

_After a few very short minutes, the dark night sky outside was suddenly lit up, illuminated by the light of fire. Soaring through the window, Burpy quickly woke the young Shane._

_"Burpy?" Eli's high-pitched voice earned a laugh from Ezra. His _brother_ was kinda cute. _

'Almost a shame he had to grow up.' _Ezra thought._

_"What are you doing here?" The Infurnus had big, sad eyes as he hopped down the bed and dug underneath the rug. Ezra watched as his _brother _pulled back the rug and opened a trapdoor, revealing a small box with his family's symbol on it._

'No,' _Ezra thought._

'_Our _family symbol.'

_The lid slid easily off of the box, revealing a note tucked safely inside. Eli quickly read it, a horrified and scared look on his face. After some thought, Ezra realized what was happening and froze. After a few minutes, the note was dropped to the floor._

_"Not until I'm fifteen." He said with renewed confidence, which sounded much closer to Eli's voice in the present. _

_Without any warning, the sky became day. Ezra was caught off guard and nearly yelped in surprise as a much older and more mature Eli stepped out of his childhood home._

_"We're finally going, Burpy!" The fifteen year old Eli grinned, with his only slug perched on his shoulder._

_"We're finally going down to Slugterra!" The teen ran out into the middle of the street. Making sure he wasn't being watched, the Shane knelt down and __pried open a manhole cover and jumped down into the sewers._

'Aww, gross!' _Ezra tried not to step on anything suspicious as he jumped down after his _brother.

_Using Burpy as a light, he made his way through a tunnel until he met an engraving of the Shane symbol and pressed on it, unveiling a chamber with a single chair in it._

_"The Drop is how I got all the way down here." Eli had told him._

_"It's like flying, but with a slightly __rougher landing. Almost broke my neck!"_

_"Here we go!" With the push of a button, the chair was sent plummeting straight down into Slugterra._

* * *

><p>The brothers woke with a start, with Eli hitting his head with his knee <em>again. <em>In the exact same spot, too.

"They're awake!" Hera yelled. Several shushes sounded from outside.

"Shush yourself!" She shouted out the door, now that she knew that Grenukes were hard to wake. Soon, everyone was by their corresponding member's side.

"What happened?" Ezra groaned, clutching his aching head. When he tried to get up, Kanan sat him right back down.

"You both passed out. That kid out there, I don't know how, but he's been exposed to the Dark Side. He had the eyes of a sith, and with what just happened, he's probably being trained to use the Force in anger." The jedi was staring at the ground, obviously stressed about the situation.

"What's a sith?" Eli asked, rubbing his already bruised forehead.

"Let's just say that they aren't afraid to kill people." Kanan said, not looking up.

Eli and Ezra felt a hand on their shoulders. Or, one hand and a claw.

"I think he needs some time to himself." Redhook said.

"We're almost finished with the engines. Might need a hand or two."

Nodding, everyone got up and left, leaving Kanan deep in thought.

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><p><strong>Wow, this might just be my longest chapter yet! Can anyone guess what Kanan's thinking about?<strong>


	13. TWINSIES!

**I have absolutely nothing to talk about right now, unless you count me talking about having nothing to talk about, which isn't really much to talk about unless I keep randomly rambling about talking about nothing like I am doing right now. If you just read all that than you are truly brave. 0.o**

***reads last chapter's reviews* Oh, hehe... *Googles Order 66* Yeah, that's _part_ of it ;) (Stormcutter634, Dragonfan47)**

**And I would like to thank Haziscool once ore for coming up with the idea of Eli and Ezra being _TWINSIES! _*Ahem* Sorry...**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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><p>Hera and Kanan were outside, alone from the others who were helping Redhook with the engines inside.<p>

"What is it this time?" Hera asked, ignoring the shushing of the Quiet Lawn residents. The jedi sighed, holding his head in his hands.

"It's complicated, Hera. Just... just got a lot on my mind, that's all."

Hera frowned. Men. Why did they have to be so difficult?

"Is it about the sith?" The pilot placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, who sat up a little straighter with her touch.

"No, not entirely..." Kanan glanced back inside. His padawan and his _brother_ were holding up a certain section of the engine while Kord was reinforcing the inside. Based on their expressions, the engine part was _pretty_ heavy.

"You're worried about them?" Hera failed to hide her smile.

"If a kid like them could turn to the Dark Side so easily, then-"

"Then they know better." Hera's voice suddenly became deadly serious.

"Seriously, Kanan, this is Ezra you're talking about. You know he or his _brother _wouldn't give into the Dark Side without a fight."

The two of them (to Quiet Lawn's relief) became completely silent for the next ten minutes or so.

"That's not all of it."

Kanan stole another glance at the two teens. They were struggling to keep the heavy engine part from falling before it eventually slipped from their grasps ... and right onto Zeb's foot. Eli and Ezra were now running for their lives as the lasat chased them around the room shooting insults at the _brothers. _The cave troll eventually took notice and tried to stop the fight, which quickly turned into a heated argument. Hera shook her head. Boys will be boys, after all.

"I managed to catch a glimpse of their dreams while they were still unconscious." Kanan tried to keep cool, which quickly ran to the ground.

"They were dreaming. About _each other's_ past. I could sense it. It's like they're mentally connected somehow!" The jedi took a moment to catch his breath.

"I think they're twins." Kanan stopped for a brief moment.

"Speaking of which..." The jedi opened the door to reveal the _siblings_ themselves, Eli and Ezra who both fell to the floor.

"How much did you guys hear?" Kanan crossed his arms as he stared down the pile of eavesdropping teens.

"Just the twins part." The padawan laughed honestly.

_Good._ The jedi thought with a sigh.

"Just get inside."

"Yes, _master!_" Ezra grinned as he and his _brother_ got to their feet.

* * *

><p>The two groups were already out of the cavern as the wagon carrying the finished engines rumbled behind Eli's mecha.<p>

"Are you sure you're okay back there?" The Shane called over his shoulder.

"I'm doing just fine." Redhook snapped.

"Besides, it's not like you can do this by yourself. Not if you have plans for the next few days."

Kord rolled his eyes as he drove ahead.

"So, twins, huh?" Ezra asked his jedi master.

"Ezra, I know you saw Eli's past. I know he saw yours. Plus, I can kind of see the resemblance." Kanan chuckled at his padawan's expression.

"_How _can you say we look alike?" Ezra was slightly offended.

"Um, we look _nothing _alike!" Eli off-puttingly agreed, slowing down with the wagon beside the jedi and padawan. Kanan just smiled some more as he sped up ahead of the two _brothers._

"You're not really helping your argument by standing side by side, you know that?" The jedi called back, leaving the two speechless.

"We're not _actually_ twins, are we?" Ezra asked the blastersmith behind him. All he received was laughter.

"Great." Eli sarcastically said as realized the answer.

"Just great." Ezra sighed. Burpy chirped with laughter.

"You knew this whole time, didn't you?" Eli lifted his Infurnus slug to eye level, who turned rosy as he hopped back into his slinger's bag. Ezra decided to chane the subject before they found out anything else.

"So, that guy back there, Twist, what as that about?" The Shane looked a little hurt as he replied,

"Yeah, he kinda hates me and my - _our _whole family and wants revenge for something dad did." Eli looked Ezra in the eye.

"He and his father were stealing slugs, and dad went after them." The picture flooded into his mind.

_ A young child, Twist, clinging to his father's back as they tried to make away with some stolen slugs on an old mecha._

"Apperently, they were driving toward a cliff, and when dad tried to save them..."

_The boy and his father were about to plummet into the deep chasm when an Arachnet was fired from the distance, holding onto the child._

Eli's voice became hard.

"He could only save Twist."

_The child was ripped off of the mecha and watched as his father helplessly fell to his death to the rock bottom of the drop. Twist wiped away his tears before yelling at the former Shane. Before running off._

_"I hate you! Why couldn't you save him! Why didn't you let me go with him!"_

Ezra nearly fell of his Speeder Bike.

_No wonder he gave in._

_He gave in because of our family._

Those thoughts had little time to settle as blaster fire filled the air and the world grew faint.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry if this chapter was a little weaker than the others, but I mainly wanted to get the twins and the Twist part in. Next chapter will be guaranteed suspense and agony on what will happen next.<strong>

**Byeeeeeeeeeeee!**


	14. A Race Against Time

**I still have nothing much to say... except that school starts back up soon and the flow of chapters might slow down... sorry D:**

**And okay fine, maybe not _that _much suspense and agony, and maybe not _agony_, but still...**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p>"...Eli."<p>

A faint voice

"..._Eli._"

The voice said more clearly.

"..._ELI!_"

"_OW!_" The Shane snapped awake as a stinging sensation burned his cheek.

"You normally slap people?!"

"Sorry! I've been trying to wake you up for an hour already!" Ezra put his hands in the air. Rubbing his still-hurting face, Eli looked around to find himself and the rest of the group (which were still unconscious) in a very _familiar _prison cell right by the prison control station.

_You've got to be kidding me._

Quickly, he stole a glance at the patrolling guard near their cell. The guard had pale green skin and reddish eyes, and seemed to be struggling to walk. Eli slammed a fist against the wall before sighing.

"We're in Stalagmite 17, aren't we?" The Shane said in an almost annoyed tone.

"Yes you are, boy." An unfamiliar voice rang through the room. The screen flickered once - then twice - before a deathly pale face appeared on the screen. Ezra gasped.

"Who are you?" Eli demanded, instinctively grabbing at a blaster which wasn't there.

_Figures. Of course they took our weapons._

The pale man laughed. He had gleaming amber eyes similar to that of Twist's.

"How rude. Hasn't your padawan friend introduced me yet?" Ezra clenched his fists.

"Well, never mind who I am," The man grinned, revealing several pointed teeth.

"I want to know who you are. Or rather, _where _you are. The likes of _you_ have no business with these _rebels._" The boys stood firm, which greatly irritated the pau'an. Their lack of fear was sickening.

"No matter. I can sense your location from billions of lightyears away. Four - no, _five_ force sensitive beings along with a large supply of darkness. My _associate_ surely will take care of that."

_Associate?_

"I swear as soon as I get out of here-" Ezra muttered.

"You won't need to worry about that."

As soon as the words were spoken, the man known as Mr. Saturday had come sliding into the room with a large smile on his face.

"Seriously? You take over the exact same place twice?" Eli gripped at the barred door.

"I'd watch your language, boy." The pale man shot a nasty smirk at the _twins_.

"You wouldn't want to hasten a planet's demise, would you?"

The screen blinked off, but the words hung in the air like spiderwebs, trapping a wandering mind into submission.

Eli hadn't noticed, but he was breathing heavily as the situation suddenly became clear.

It was either get the Ghost crew home or doom an entire world population.

"You know that guy?" The Shane asked. Ezra nodded.

"Calls himself the Inquisitor. Works for the Empire. Wants our whole crew dead or captured. Pretty much almost the same deal you had with Twist."

Eli thought through the Inquisitor's words more carefully.

"A 'large supply of darkness'... I think I know what that means."

"What?"

"It's pretty complicated."

"We're not really going anywhere."

Ezra leaned back against the cell wall, watching the rise and fall of his master's breathing. Smacking him hadn't worked, slapping Hera would've cost him a ride home, and smacking Zeb or Sabine would've meant death. Or being colored pink for the rest of his life.

"There's this guy, Dr. Blakk," Eli began.

"That uses this stuff called Dark Water to turn slugs into these creepier versions of themselves and completely changes their nature. He also really hates my - _our_ dad."

Ezra looked back up at his _twin._ A flash of pain shot across his face so quickly that anyone else would have missed it. But they were connected. Eli felt his pain. Ezra quickly shook his head and continued the conversation.

"So you think the Inquisitor can track us because of this Dark Water stuff?"

"Probably. So even if you guys left, there'd still be the Dark Water to deal with."

"So we have to get out of here, get rid of as much Dark Water as possible, find the engines, and try to get home?"

"Pretty much. We just have to deal with that guy." Eli glanced at their captor.

Mr. Saturday sipped at his smoothie, plopping himself in a chair and gazing at the control station with red eyes.

"I'm sitting right here, you know." Saturday finished the glass's contents before throwing it at the zombified guard.

"And you won't trick me this time, Shane. I know you can't make smoothies _now._"

Ezra shot his brother a quizzical look.

"I'll explain later."

* * *

><p>Twist stood in the shadows of Blakk's citadel, staring into his reflection in a window. Half of him was actually admiring how he looked, seeing as the amber eyes greatly complimented his blond hair. The other half, however, was afraid of what he had become.<p>

It all started when he wasn't paying much attention to where he was walking, when he bumped into a large storage arsenal of ghoul slugs. The slug tubes rattled as the whole thing started to tip forward, and would've surely fallen with the teen crushed underneath. But, for some peculiar reason, it didn't.

There were ghouls floating about, suspended in mid air. The whole storage unit had simply frozen at Twist's will. It was frightening.

But it was power.

Enough power to kill.

Twist glanced at the citadel once more before running off with his blaster.

* * *

><p>"You did <em>what?<em>" A now-awake jedi rubbed at his stinging cheek.

"Hey, it wasn't working before, I didn't think it would work now." Ezra defended.

They had officially been there for at least three hours, and everyone was now filled in on the situation.

"This isn't just about us anymore..." Sabine's voice trailed off. Everyone nodded in silence.

If anything, Eli, who was still gripping at the bars, seemed to be affected the most. When - _if_ the Empire's ships came to Earth, the first thing that would be taken was the Surface. _His home._ Then, only a matter of time before they found Slugterra, too. He knew the planet more than anyone else in the group, other than Redhook.

_I came to Slugterra the day after Empire Day._

Eli could imagine Ezra's description of Lothal - Imperials pacing up and down the street with stormtroopers harassing citizens who thought against the Empire. Innocent people would be arrested or killed. Every year on his birthday, he'd have to celebrate Empire Day, as he bore the same birth date as his _twin_. Another thought burned into his mind.

_If the Empire finds our planet, it'll be our fault..._

Eli shook it off before his mind broke down.

It was almost too much.

"I was afraid it would come to this." Redhook grumbled, inspecting his metal hook for the thousandth time. Nobody really took notice.

"What, that we'd be captured?" Kord crossed his arms. The blastersmith didn't respond, but resumed messing with the components of his mechanical arm. Nobody noticed the concerned look which came across Kanan's face.

"You don't have to."

The _twins_ glanced at the two jedi.

_Click click._

Their eyes widened.

"Are you sure?" Ezra asked. Hera sat up from her reclined position.

"Sure about what?" The twi'lek narrowed her eyes. She could tell when something was being kept from her.

_Click click._

"Well, its about time." Redhook sighed as he twisted the switch one last time.

_Click click!_

In seconds, the glow of a lightsaber lit the cell as the old jedi slashed at the bars.


	15. How to Cure A Ghoul

**Every time I finally think of something to say I end up forgetting by the time I actually turn on my computer...**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p>"<em>YOU'RE A JEDI?!<em>" The rest of the Ghost crew practically screamed as they fled down a hallway from an army of zombie guards.

"A _what?_" Kord blasted a gaining horde of zombies with a Hoprock slug, slowing down the others in the process.

"A jedi. Like me." Kanan grunted as he used the Force to launch another incoming mob of zombies a good 20 feet away, only to be replaced by twice as many as before.

"How long did you know about this?!" Hera shouted.

"I don't know, one day?" Kanan shouted back, struggling as the guards picked up speed. Quickly, Eli fired a Frostcrawler slug to temporarily stop the attack.

"Only way out is through the front door, but we need to help these people, first." He yelled to the group.

"And the only way to do that - "

"Is to find Saturday and cure the Hypnogrif. _Again._" Trixie sighed.

"That's gonna be pretty hard without Doc, Eli!" Kord loaded his blaster, ready to take action.

_BANG! BANG!_

More and more zombies poured out of the remaining halls as the ice wall began to crumble.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"Split up! We'll meet you at the entrance!" Eli shouted. The Shane and his _brother_ went one direction while the others fled as the wall finally gave way.

* * *

><p>Ezra held his hands on his knees, panting to catch his breath.<p>

"So... what's... the plan?" The padawan gasped between the heaving of his chest.

"I don't know! It's kinda hard to think while being chased by an army of evil zombie minions, you think?" Eli huffed. It was turning out to be a very interesting week.

If one were to recap everything that had happened over the last few days:

_A giant spaceship crash._

_New people from space._

_The Force._

_Long-lost twin brother._

_A grumpy jedi blastersmith._

_An angry teenage dark-side user._

_A zombie attack for the third time._

_An entire planet's fate in their hands._

Yep, it's been a pretty wild time. Eli wondered if his father ever had an agenda as crazy as this. Ezra was undoubtedly amazed as well. He never expected to have to step up and be hero. Okay, fine.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Ezra spotted a small, white slug hop across the hall and out of sight.

"Hey!"

The twins automatically began to follow the strange slug's path. There was just something so familiar about it... that just pulled the boys along. Soon, they found that they couldn't stop until they finally caught up to the waiting slug.

"It's... a white boon doc!" Eli said, kneeling down to observe the healer.

"It's just like the one the Unbeatable Master had..."

"So those can cure the slugs, right?" Ezra bent down next to his _brother_. The boon doc remained unusually calm at the boys' presence, intently staring back up at them with a single watchful eye.

"Yeah." With an ever so careful motion, Eli smiled, reaching a hand towards the slug, who didn't move.

"Hey there, buddy. Wanna help us out?" A warm kindness radiated from Eli's voice, which the slug instantly recognized.

"Um.. Eli? Are boon docs _supposed_ to be glowing like that?"

A soft, cool glow pulsed from the boon doc as light blinded the two _siblings_, who both fell into a deep, calm sleep.

* * *

><p>"Come on, bro, <em>wake up!<em>"

"This'll take for-_ever._ Can't Pronto throw a bucket of water on them or something?"

"No! If we do that, I'll never hear the end of it..."

"_EZRA!_"

"_OWW!_"

Eli and his startled _brother _woke to find themselves on the floor and surrounded by the group.

"Sorry, kid. You obviously weren't waking up on your own anytime soon." Ezra couldn't help but notice the slight smile on his master's face.

"Wait. What about the zombies?" The Shane shot straight up.

"All cured!" Trixie said, looking slightly stunned.

"One second they're trying to kill us, the next they're helping us lock up Saturday. It's like nothing ever happened at all!"

Quickly, Eli glanced around. The boon doc was nowhere to be found, and Saturday was left sulking in the same cell the group had been kept captive. The only thing left of the small supernatural event was the strange, pulsating feeling Eli and Ezra felt in their veins.

_Weird._

The Shane shook off the thought. Maybe they were still shocked from the light.

"Whatever. Now that Saturday's out of the way, we still have the Dark Water to worry about."

Kord nodded, pulling up a small map of Slugterra. The Ghost crew was amazed at the actual size of the underground world. 99 thriving caverns underneath a whole widespread population of unsuspecting people on the Surface.

Ezra wondered if other planets were like this.

"Okay." The cave troll broke through one last firewall before enlarging a small nearby cavern.

"According to my super-awesome-tech-skills, there's a huge shipment of Dark Water moving towards one of Blakk's large manufacturing facilities... all the way across Slugterra." Kord groaned.

"Then we'd better get moving." Eli smiled as they reached the entrance of Stalagmite 17.

Everyone agreed as they rode away from the prison.

* * *

><p>Twist finally stopped running by the time he didn't know where he was anymore. His legs ached and threatened to give out, but the boy ignored the pain. Something had called him here, and he was going to be ready for whatever and whoever was to come.<p>

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

A small holographic figure suddenly blinked to life behind the teen, who instinctively loaded his blaster and prepared to fire. The figure simply laughed. His own amber eyes seemed to completely drown out that of Twist's.

"There's no need for that, boy."

Twist was unmoving.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Inquisitor, my boy, and don't be so harsh. I am here to make an offer which you cannot refuse."

"No thanks. I don't negotiate." The teen said coldly.

The Inquisitor gazed directly into the boy's eyes.

"Well that's just too bad."

A large smirk bearing pointed teeth appeared on the Inquisitor's face.

"I suppose you'll be perfectly fine, knowing that your _father_ would have died in vain."

Those words cut through Twist's heart like a blade.

Ten minutes later, Twist's anger and thirst for revenge was at it's peak as he nodded his head.

"What would I have to do?"

* * *

><p>"A boon doc? Are you sure?" Trixie asked. The group (And Redhook) were slowly making their way to the Dark Water facility. Eli rubbed his neck.<p>

"Yeah, a white one. Don't know where it went though..."

Zeb grumbled as he passed by.

"Who cares? We got out alive and in one piece, that's what matters."

"What matters is that whatever cured those guards saved us." Hera said, trying to keep Chopper from attacking some mischief-causing slugs.

Ezra burst out laughing as a Tazerling zapped the droid for the third time.

If anything, he was actually kind of glad the Ghost had crashed. Even though there was the chance that the Empire could come and take over the planet (which was apparently called Earth), so far there was just a little more good than bad which came out of it.

_Like meeting Eli._

Ezra smiled.

_Wait._

A rustling sound in the bushes pulled the boy from his thoughts.

"Eli!" Ezra waved his _brother_ over as they both pulled to a stop.

The rustling continued.

"What the..." The Shane hopped off his mecha and_ slowly_ crept toward the noise, before quickly jumping back.

"It's a pack of ghouls!" Eli yelled as nearly fifty ghoul slugs chased after him, trying to bite whatever they could.

"What? _Those_ little things?" Zeb snorted.

"They're barely the size of my finger. They can't do - _OW!_"

The lasat shook off a couple ghouls from his foot as he backed away.

"Alright, I see why you don't want _that _happening."

"There's too many of them to catch!" Trixie shouted as dozens more ghouls joined in the 'fun'.

"Run!" Eli yelled, moving as fast as he could towards his mecha before losing his footing and tumbling to the ground.

"_Eli!_" Everyone yelled and quickly turned back. However, Ezra got there first.

"Come on!" The padawan shouted, trying to pull his _brother _to his feet. It was no use: Eli had badly sprained his ankle.

The strange, pulsating feeling returned as the ghouls drew closer and closer until the _twins_ both put up their hands and braced for impact.

Which never came.

When the twins opened their eyes, there was a slowly dissipating light, which revealed normal, un-ghouled slugs.

They had just cured a wlid pack of ghouls.


	16. The Unbeatable Jedi

**Oooooo, I wonder what could possibly had happened to the twins? Hmmmm...**

**Did you guys know that dolphins sleep with one eye open? I know it's random but I'm just too lazy to think of anything else to say...**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p>Eli and Ezra stared at the slugs. The slugs stared back. The two jedi gasped. Pronto started freaking out.<p>

"_What did you do?_" The _twins_ yelled at each other at the same time. The strange feeling had gone away, but the shock had remained.

Trixie bent down and picked up an un-ghouled Hop Rock slug, who was a little amazed itself, checking out it's little arms and tail to see if it were completely normal.

"That must've been what happened back at Stalagmite 17!" She realized, brushing her red locks out of her eyes. Eli attempted to stand, failing miserably and cringing as a sharp pain sliced through his leg.

"I gotcha, Eli." Kord grunted as he slid off his mecha and rushed to help Eli stand.

"Thanks." Eli managed a smile, although he obviously was in a lot of pain.

"So how do you think, um, _that_ happened?" The Shane pointed a thumb towards the hundreds of slightly dazed and disoriented slugs. Redhook crossed his arms, his eye darting from one brother to the other.

"That white boon doc the two of you saw at the prison," The blastersmith mused.

"You said it looked like Shanai's, correct?"

Eli nodded. Ezra didn't.

"Who's Shanai?" Ezra asked. A flash of pain appeared briefly on his _brother's _face, and this time it wasn't from his injury. Trixie rubbed her arms.

"They called her the Unbeatable Master." She began quietly.

"But, one day Blakk showed up and..."

"...she's gone." Eli finished, half-pretending to inspect his injured leg.

You know how an action figure looks when you bend its limbs the wrong way? Well... you get the idea.

Hera stepped forward, raising an eyebrow.

"So what does this 'Unbeatable Master' have to do with all this?"

Redhook took in a deep breath and sighed.

"You'd all better sit down. Especially you, Eli, with that leg of yours."

* * *

><p>Kanan nearly choked.<p>

"Jedi master Shanai Barr?!"

Everyone turned to look at Kanan's widened eyes. Padawan or not, Eli could somehow feel some trace of sorrow through Ezra's connection with his master. That was another thing he wasn't used to. Apparently you could feel one's emotions through the force. Redhook slowly nodded, as if to honor the deceased slugslinger.

"A very skilled and well known jedi knight. Gifted with a lightsaber, the Force, and a blaster. I respected her work."

Kanan stayed silent, staring at the flickering light of the campfire they had lit.

_How many jedi existed on this planet? _

_How many survived?_

_How many were alive?_

"But... i-it couldn't have belonged to Shanai!" Eli stuttered.

"We saw her slugs disappear with her!"

Eli regretted his words as soon as they were out of his mouth, as he was bombarded with an invisible shroud of emotions from several people.

But standing out the most was... happiness?

He had immediately jumped up, only to forget about his injury and topple backwards... right into Twist's trap.

The teenage dark-side user locked an arm around Eli's neck and aimed his blaster towards his head. He kicked Eli's twisted ankle until he collapsed onto his knees.

"Don't move!" Twist shouted, tightening his grip and stepping backwards as the unprepared group armed themselves. Eli tried to cry out at the pain, but Twist held a hand firmly clasped over his mouth.

"Let him g-!" Ezra shouted before being grabbed from behind... by another Twist?

"Another perk of the Force, I guess." The second Twist grinned as Loki hopped onto his shoulder, baring an evil smile.

"I don't want much." The first and assumingly original Twist said in his all-too-familiar innocent voice.

"Just need to... borrow these two. It won't take long, I promise."

"You're not taking them!" Kanan swiftly activated his lightsaber. He had no intention on harming a kid, but he'd do anything to save his padawan.

"Too late." Twist smiled as he disappeared, along with Eli and Ezra.


	17. A Light Show

**Mwa ha ha! Didn't see that coming, did ya?**

**Did you guys know that the thrush bird sleeps for about eight seconds at a time on long flights? Sorry... weekends aren't meant for learning.**

**P.S. ****Twist is not a clone, he can create illusions with his slug, Loki. Sorry, I just don't know anything about the Star Wars Universe. (Stormcutter364)**

**P.P.S. By the time this chapter comes out it will be MY BIRTHDAY! Yay! (For safety purposes my age will not be revealed ;) )**

**Enjoy your burrito!**

**Jk, Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p>Both Twists skidded to a stop inside of their deserted cave (which was beginning to feel like a second home) and threw their captives on the rocky ground. They hadn't exactly given their passengers a smooth ride, and the two <em>brothers<em> were covered in scratches from being 'dropped' so many times.

Ezra spat out a couple leaves and roots which had somehow ended up in his mouth and stared up at their captor/captors, who both laughed.

"The Dark Side." One Twist chuckled at the name as he stooped down and grabbed their weapons.

"If only I knew about it sooner." The second Twist flipped Eli's blaster in his hands.

"Then the Shane family would be long gone by now."

Eli shook his head, trying to stop the cavern walls from spinning.

"But- how? Thugglet slugs only give off illusions, ghouled or not!"

The first Twist shrugged, dual-wielding the blasters so they both pointed at the _twins_.

"The Dark Side can increase the potency of Dark Water. Let's just say that Loki here got an upgrade."

The ghoul gave off an evil giggle.

"What do you want?" Ezra growled through gritted teeth. His sides ached too much to stand, much less punch Twist straight into hyperspace. The original Twist only grinned and snapped his fingers, causing the second Twist to turn to dust and blow away.

"Today's your lucky day, Shane." Twist said, leaning against the wall of the citadel.

"Bridger." Ezra muttered under his breath. He knew that he probably shouldn't have said it, but he just couldn't help it.

Ezra Shane just seemed too weird.

"_Shut it_." Twist snapped, making a subtle motion with his hand. A sharp, ear-splitting ringing sound suddenly caused Eli and Ezra to claw frantically at their ears. Satisfied, Twist dropped his hand, and left the _brothers _panting and exhausted. Several of Eli's slugs had even scattered onto the ground, watching tiny stars float around their little heads.

The teenage dark-sider gave a nasty smirk, snatching one off the floor.

"Joules!" Eli shouted, swiping for his Tazerling slug as Twist tightened his grip on the helpless slug in his fist.

A dark, suffocating energy in the air suddenly swirled up around them as Twist concentrated the Dark Side on his victim. When the surge of darkness fell, a newly ghouled Joules growled menacingly in it's new form.

Ezra gasped and clenched his fists as he put two and two together.

"You set those ghouls on us, didn't you!" The young padawan growled.

"So you're not as dense as I thought you were." The dark-side teen laughed.

Eli abruptly shook his head once more, trying to push himself up off his knees.

"Is this what you want to be, Twist?"

The teen grimaced. For a moment, he was completely silent, and it almost felt like nothing had occurred between the two at all.

"This is who I want _you_ to be, Shane." He yelled, loading his new ghoul into his blaster.

"Dead."

_NO!_

Using as much energy as he could muster, Ezra jumped up and used the Force to slam Twist into the side of the cave.

* * *

><p>"Kanan, we've been looking for hours. They can't have gone far." Hera said in her most comforting voice. The jedi was not in the mood to stop and chat.<p>

"I can still sense them. But I think that kid's found a way to block their Force signatures just enough to throw us off the scent." Kanan absent-mindedly gripped his lightsaber until his knuckles turned white.

Redhook glanced up at his fellow jedi, an eye full of concern.

"Their healing ability is exceptional, that's for sure." The old man said. He made a small motion with his claw, and everyone else gently nodded and left the two Jedi alone.

"So exceptional it could be considered... strange, in a way."

Kanan wore a quizzical expression as he looked upon the blastersmith. During his days as a padawan, he had been taught to respect the actions of older and (hopefully) wiser Jedi.

Then again, this Jedi _was_ kept underground for possibly decades. And he was _really_ old.

"Why?" Kanan asked.

"The Jedi have the ability to heal through the Force."

"Nearly five hundred ghouls and a prison full of zombies in less than three seconds? Only the most skilled Jedi healers can accomplish that." Redhook gave one of his rare smiles.

Kanan considered his point for a second. He hadn't started teaching Ezra to use the Force to heal others, and Eli obviously hasn't started training at all. Healing took time and meditation... for beginners like them.

So how was it possible?

_NO!_

A sharp whistling sound suddenly stung his head as he felt his padawan's pain through their bond.

"Ezra!" The jedi revved up his speeder and, without much warning, sped off ahead of the group.

* * *

><p>The teen dark-sider staggered to his feet, not fazed by the Twist-shaped imprint in the cave's stone wall.<p>

"Cheap move, attacking me while my back is turned." He scowled.

The dark tone in his voice made shivers run through Ezra's spine, but he dared not to let it show.

"So stomping down on a twisted ankle doesn't count?" Eli retorted, biting down on his cheek to ignore the throbbing pain shooting up his leg.

Ezra glanced worriedly at his _brother, _who somehow managed to get up using only one leg. It wasn't hard to notice the red that stained the area around his boots.

Twist quickly deployed Loki, and suddenly four more versions of himself appeared from thin air.

"Changed my mind." One glowered over the two teens.

"Maybe I will kill you both."

Another Twist made a grab for Ezra, who ducked and pushed him back. The two sides circled around each other (excluding Eli, who sort of dragged his leg along the ground as he moved), waiting for someone to make a mistake.

_Please, please work._ Ezra thought, praying that his thoughts weren't leaking out to Twist.

"You know, I was kind of hoping that you were different from your _brother._" As if on cue, all of the Twists raised identical blasters, not including Eli's.

"You both love to play hero, you both always think there's hope, you both are really _stubborn._"

A sinister grin spread across Twist's face.

"You're both alone. You have no one else. You're both just like me, orphans with nobody to care for them."

A cold, empty feeling struck near Eli and Ezra's hearts, and suddenly they were backing away from not only the Twists, but each other.

_What if he's right?_

The _twins_ backed themselves up until they realized they were cornered against the incoming Twists.

"Guess it just runs in the family." Twist smiled as he lifted Eli's blaster and fired.

_"NOW!"_

Eli and Ezra quickly held up their hands, and a blast of light flooded the whole cave. The rest of the duplicate twins vanished as the original tossed a tube out of sight and shielded his eyes.

The fired Tazerling was cured in an instant and sent flying back at Twist, who was knocked to the ground before disappearing with Loki hidden the bushes.

"You okay, Joules?" Eli asked as he picked up the rest of their weapons. He smiled as the slug chirruped happily.

Ezra returned the smile. It felt good to have at least a _piece _of his original family back.

* * *

><p>"Slow down, Kanan!"<p>

"Where are you going?!"

"He's crazy!"

"KANAN!"

The jedi couldn't hear any of them as he jumped off his ride and ran towards the two exhausted _brothers._

"Eli! Ezra! Are you..."

The Jedi looked around. The cave had collapsed on impact, a couple giant mushrooms were uprooted, and overall the _brothers_ looked like a wreck. The sith kid was nowhere to be seen.

"What... happened... here?"

The two boys sheepishly grinned and looked down.

"We can explain..."

Trixie gasped.

"Eli! Your leg!"

All the excitement had taken Eli's attention away from the now searing pain of his leg. How did he forget that he had a huge and bleeding leg injury?

"Ouch."

* * *

><p>"So you're saying... that boon doc gave us the ability to heal people?" Eli asked as he watched Hera work on his leg.<p>

"I'm saying that it somehow made your healing ability much stronger." Redhook grunted, crossing his arms.

"All force sensitives can heal, with a little practice, which I'm assuming you had none of. What I don't understand is how ghouls can be made from the Dark Side alone."

Ezra lay down on the comfy cap of a mushroom, preoccupied with the strange feeling he had felt during the fight, while Kanan leaned against the mushroom's stalk, tired from the recent burst of energy.

"But it doesn't make sense. I couldn't even tell you two could heal until the two of you..."

His voice trailed off as he spied a small, dark group in the distance.

"Hey, by any chance did you guys do something that would attract unwanted attention?"

"What?" Ezra yawned, his head dangling off the side of the mushroom cap as he lay on his back. Eli flinched as Hera adjusted his foot to actually bend the right way.

"Well, we did sort of put on a light show back there."

A rumbling sensation was beginning to build up in the ground.

"Um, guys?" Kord shouted from above.

"We've got company!"

Ezra slid down from his resting spot and, along with the rest of the crew, quickly armed himself and prepared for anything that was to come.

_**CRASH!**_

Several mushrooms were toppled over as the Shadow Clan burst into sight.


	18. Together At Last

**I seriously need a new topic besides how animals sleep... but that topic is so easy though... *coughs* not that I watch them sleep at night or anything! *scoot* *scoot***

**And seriously? Not _one_ Happy Birthday? It's okay... I'm cool... My parents forgot too (jk jk)**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p>The Shadow Clan loomed over the groups, their green eyes gleaming. The Ghost crew reached for their weapons, but the Shane gang remained relatively calm. Not even Redhook seemed to mind as the mysterious creatures surrounded them.<p>

Eli, not taking notice of Hera's concern, hobbled onto one foot and walked (or rather, hopped) right up to the mysterious group of creatures.

_Is he crazy? _Ezra thought as he watched with curiosity, drawing back his slingshot.

A shocked expression fell upon Eli's face as he glanced around him before looking in Ezra's direction.

_Oops._

Ezra laughed nervously. He underestimated the bond between him and his _brother_.

He also forgot that the Jedi could use telepathy.

Shaking off the shock, Eli reached into his pack and placed his Shadow Talker around the back of his head.

"Eli Shane." The Shadow Clan leader stepped forward, and spoke in a troubled voice.

"We have spotted some strange form of slug energy nearby. Is this your doing?"

Eli nodded, rubbing his neck and grabbing his mecha to support his weight.

"Yeah, it's... it's a really long story."

Sabine slowly stepped back, nudging Trixie in the arm.

"Who are these guys?" She whispered, her blaster at an arm's reach. Trixie didn't seem as calm as Eli, but didn't make any motion towards her weapon.

"The Shadow Clan. A lot of Slugterra are afraid of them, but they aren't really that bad. They've even helped us out a couple of times. We're allies, I guess."

Eli ignored the conversation behind him as he listened.

"Son of Shane," The Shadow Clan leader's eyes widened as he looked him over, head to toe.

"What is it?" Ezra asked, confused with the Shadow Clan's language as he spoke with a surprised expression.

"He- he says we have the same slug auras of a boon doc." Eli said.

"Slug auras?" Ezra echoed. Eli nodded.

"Heeeeee... also says that he wants to speak with you."

Ezra frowned.

"How am I supposed to do that? I can't even understand them!"

The leader made a motion towards the circlet around Eli's head.

"The Shadow Talker?" Eli rested his hand on the device. It was really painful the first time he had used it.

"Are you sure? Okay..."

The Shane removed the Shadow Talker and handed it to Ezra.

"Here. This'll translate. I'd do it myself, but he wants a private conversation. But just a warning, it's going to hurt. Like, _a lot._ You'll get used to it."

_Um, did he say 'hurt'?_

Ezra thought as placed the device around his head, and instantly felt a huge migraine slam his mind. He was about to rip the thing off when...

"Who are you?"

The young padawan relaxed as the pain died down. The Shadow Clan leader loomed over him, staring down at him with piercing eyes.

"Um, I'm Ezra." He managed to say, slightly spooked by the effects of the Shadow Talker.

Once more, the tall Shadow Clan leader shifted his gaze between the two _twins._

"You are connected to the Shane?" The creature asked. His voice was daunting, but not quite as rasped and confusing as before.

Ezra quickly glanced at his _brother, _and then his master.

_'Can I say it?'_

**_'If you think you should...' _**Eli smiled, overwhelmed by the newfound ability.

**_'Just be careful, kid.' _**Kanan nodded.

Ezra nodded back in return.

"Yeah... Eli's... he's... kinda my _brother._" The teen really hated how the word _brother_ had come out.

Instantly, some sort of quiet controversy rippled throughout the Shadow Clan. Ezra wondered if he made the right decision.

The Shadow Clan leader held up a hand for silence before rising to his full height.

"You are the second son of Shane?!" The creature asked, glancing at Eli.

"It's true." Eli replied, still grinning a bit. The leader of the Shadow clan instantly (and quite literally) disappeared, and reappeared with a small, cube-like object in his hand.

Kanan raised an eyebrow.

"A holocron?" He asked.

Eli took a closer look. It was identical to the one he had seen in Ezra's memory.

"Yep, that's a holocron all right." Redhook grunted, observing every detail of the cube.

"In fact, I believe that I lent this one out to your father, both of you."

The twins widened their eyes.

"Wait, so this is from my- _our_ dad?" Eli asked.

The creature nodded, placing it on the ground.

"If you can open it, it is yours."

The Shadow Clan leader made a signal, and the entire Shadow Clan vanished into thin air.

* * *

><p>"So how do we open a <em>holocron,<em> anyway?" Trixie placed her hands on her hips.

Redhook shrugged.

"It's been a while since I've used this one in particular."

Kanan stepped back. He of course, had a holocron of his own back on the Ghost, but there was some resistance within the holocron.

He was unable to open it with the Force.

"Maybe it can recognize a certain person?" Sabine suggested after a while of arguing and bickering. Redhook knocked himself on the head with his claw.

"Of course! I gave him _that_ one!" The old man laughed.

"Which _one_, exactly?" Kanan crossed his arms. The blastersmith dropped his smile as he turned to the jedi.

"Several years ago, I gave one of my old modified holocrons to Eli and Ezra's father. He never told me why he needed it, or what he would use it for, but now..." Redhook sighed.

"So how do we open it?" Ezra asked impatiently. Redhook bent down and swiped the holocron from the floor.

"Touch the top. Both of you." He ordered.

Eli and Ezra both quickly glanced at each other before placing their fingers on the top of the holocron.

Something clicked within the device, and the corners slowly turned, one by one, and a large, holographic figure rose from within.

_Dad!_ Both of the teens thought at the same time, unintentionally transmitting the thought to each other.

_Huh. We really are twins. _Eli chuckled to himself.

The holographic man looked significantly different from what Ezra remembered, but somewhere inside, he knew that this person just _had_ to be his father.

"_My sons, Eli and Ezra._" The figure spoke with a pained smile. It took all the strength in the world for the _brothers_ to hold back their tears as they watched and listened.

"_I hope with all my heart that someday, somehow, that you will hear this __message. If you are hearing this, that means that you've finally found each other and have probably discovered by now one of the best kept secrets this family holds: each other._"

"Ezra..." Hera reached for the padawan as it became harder and harder to hide his emotions, only to be held back by Kanan.

The others were having a tough time keeping a straight face too, as Pronto was already in tears crying himself out. The holographic Will Shane/ Ephraim Bridger placed a hand near his heart.

"_Eli, I know I should have told you about your brother, but I had never gathered enough strength to break it to you that your brother was possibly billions of __lightyears away from Earth. I should have told you sooner that you were born on Lothal, that we lived under the grasp of the Empire. I hope that someday, you'll be able to forgive me for what I was never able to do."_

Eli's eyes were so close to spilling over, but he held on for as long as he could without crying like a child.

_"And Ezra, I'm so sorry that you've had to endure the hardships of life on Lothal alone, that I never even taught you how to read properly."_

_"_Wait, _what_? You can't read?" Eli glanced at his brother, who glanced away.

_"I hope that by now, you are with a new family who loves you just as much as I do. We had never intended to leave you, Ezra."_

_Don't cry, don't cry, DON'T CRY. _Ezra thought as he bit his lip.

_"Our plan was to outrun the Imperials and hijack a shipment to Earth. The entire Shane/Bridger generation always made the journey to this planet, free from the Empire and safe from other planets."_

The hologram's expression saddened as he continued.

_"But when your mother found you __unconscious on the ground, not breathing and without a heartbeat or pulse, there was no time. The Imperials chased us down and ripped you from her arms. Before we had the chance to save you, the ship we had hijacked took off and went into hyperspace. We grieved at your loss. We thought you were dead, Ezra."_

"Karabast..." Zeb muttered silently to himself.

_"I'm so sorry, Ezra. And I'm sorry, Eli. I wish that I could be there right now, to see both of my sons together at last."_ The hologram smiled.

Eli and Ezra finally let their emotions go, as tears rolled down their faces.

Kanan and Hera stepped forward to comfort Ezra as the Shane gang went to comfort Eli.

"I'm so sorry." Trixie whispered as he helped Eli walk back to his mecha.

"It- it's fine." He quickly wiped his face of tears, and quickly recovered his usual confident self.

"Hey, does anyone find it weird that he'd just leave a holocron full of well-kept secrets just like that?" Pronto piped up.

Just as the words were uttered, the hologram quickly blinked back on.

_"By the way, for safety __precautions, this message will self destruct in ten... nine... eight..."_

"Run for it!" Eli yelled. Everyone was speeding away as the holocron started counting down.

_"Five... four..."_

"Keep going! This holocron has a five-yard radius explosion!" Redhook yelled from the engine wagon behind Eli's mecha.

"Why would you make it _explode_ in the fist place?!" Hera yelled.

"I have no idea!" The blastersmith shouted back.

_"Three... two... one... initiating self destruct."_

**_BOOM!_**

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was great, right? I love to hit people right in the feelings. And I just want to let you all know know that no matter what, I WILL ALWAYS LOVE CATS. That was random... and significantly different from what I normally say...<strong>


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